Regulator for wool-washing machines.



F. L. FURBUSH. REGULATOR FOB. WOOL WASHING MACHINES. APPLIGATION'I'ILED APR. 11, 1907.-

91 7, 936. Patented Apr. 13, 1.909.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT @l l lOE.

FRANK L. FURBUSH, OF WESTFORD, MASSAOHUSETTS ASSIGNOR TO 0. G. SARGENTS SONS, OF WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

REGULATOR FOR WOOL-WASHING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 11, 1907.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Serial No. 367,532.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. FURBUSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at l'l esti'ord, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Regulator for ll ool-l l ashing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to device for regulating the temperature of the water in wool washing machines. Machines of this character are usually provided with a tank for the water in which the wool is to be washed, this tank having a screen for supporting the wool and being provided with a rake motion or the like for moving the wool. T he water is heated by steam.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the steam may be automatically turned on when the temperature of the water goes below a certain point and automatically turned 01 when it goes above a certain point. '5' his is accomplished by means of a thermostat connected with a valve for controlling the admission of steam to the tank. This thermostat is so constructed as to efficiently provide for accomplishing this result with a very simple and inexpensive mechanism and is so related to the steam inlet pipe that it will be very sensitive to changes in temperature in the tank but at the same time will respond only to those changes which affect substantially the whole body of water.

For an illustration of a preferred form of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a well.-;nown type of wool washing machine showing how this invention may be applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1 the steam pipe being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the thermostat shown in Fig. 2-, and Fig. l is an end elevation of the same.

The invention is shown as applied to an ordinary type of wool washing machine having a tank 10 in which is located a screen 11 for sup orting the wool. Along this screen the woo is moved by a parallel rake motion or in any other desired manner.

The wool in the tank is heated by one or more perforated steam pipes 12 preferably extending from side to side of the tank under the screen. These steam pipes are supplied by a steam main 13 which has a valve 15 for controlling it. This valve is regulated by hand as usual, and in order to secure the desired regulation, a second valve 14 is provided. 5i thermostat 16 which may consist of a bar of metal fixed to one side of the tank and free to move with respect to the other side, or which may be constructed in any other way, is located at a lower level than the pipes 12 and when two of these pipes are employed, it is located between them. In any event, it is so located as to be at some distance from these pipes so that the steam discharged from them will not come directly in contact with it and at a lower level so that the temperature of the water at a point where it is comparatively steady, may act upon the thermostat.

The thermostat is provided with a stufiing box 17 in the side of the tank on which is an arm 18 extending downwardly. To this arm is pivotally connected a lever 19. This lever is also pivotally connected with the free end of the thermostat 16 so that the movement of the end of the thermostat will be transmitted to the lever and greatly multiplied at its upper end, which operates the valve 1 1 as will readily be understood.

It will be seen that from the location of the thermostat, extending as it does from one side of the tank to the other in a compara tively quiet part of the tank, it will be suiliciently sensitive to changes in temperature and yet will not be affected directly by the steam issuing from the pipe 152. Moreover, it is connected with the valve in a most simple and eflicient manner so that any slight changes will be multiplied and the action of the valve will be controlled in such a manner that the temperature of the water will be kept constant within narrow limits. By means of the ordinary valve 15 operated by hand the steam can be turned off when desired without disconnecting the parts of the regulator.

While I have illustrated and described a particular form in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown, but

What I do claim is 2*- 1. In a wool washing tank, the combinaof horizontal steam pipes extending across tion of a horizontal perforated steam pipe I entering the tank to discharge steam into the tank, a valve for said pipe outside the tank, means for operating said valve, a thermostatic regulator extending across said tank at a lower level than that of the steam pipe and parallel therewith and in position to be affected by the water heated by the steam issuing from the steam pipe, said regulator being connected with the means for operating the valve so as to operate said means, whereby the amount of steam discharged into the Water can be controlled.

The combination with a tank, of. a pair the tank and perforated throughout their length in the tank, a main steam supply pipe connected with both of said pipes, a manually operated valve for controlling the ad mission of steam through the main steam pipe, a second valve between the manually operated valve and the tank, means for operating the second valve, and a thermostatic regulator extending into said tank parallel with said perforated steam pipes and at a lower level than the perforated pipes and between them, and in position to be directly affected by the water heated by the steam, said regulator being connected with the means for operating the second valve. 7

3. The combination with a wool washing tank, of a perforated steam pipe entering the tank, a valve for the steam pipe located above it, a rod. secured at one end to the tank and extending across it, a stuffing box on the 35 FRAN K L. FUH'BUSII.

Vifitnesses E. A. Nomvrnve'rou, A. C. SARGENT,

valve, said- 4 

